Big Things

I dont know how many of you guys are having trouble studying, or dont know where to start, or if you are finding yourself easily distracted from studying like I am. But I found this website, which may be a little on “childish” side, but there are some good tips, useful tips and some little tips that can help ease the tension of studying and make things easier on you. I know that it has helped me occasionally to organize my study habits, and maybe it will help you. But I know if it doesnt help, it cant hurt to try…

http://www.how-to-study.com/Preparing%20to%20Study.htm

Take a Look at this. I have recently gotten into the art of playing with a rubix cube, and i decidedc to go onto google video and u-tube to see if there are any interesting videos on solving the rubix cube. I found plenty of videos of people solving the rubix cube in record time, but then I found this video. Its of a guy solving a rubix cube blind folded!!! I couldnt believe it, and I am still months, maybe years away from solving my rubix cube….

This is just absolutley terrible…For those of you who havent seen this yet. There is a serious parental advisory on this video clip…

AOL has “released three month’s worth of users’ query logs to a publicly accessible Web site late last month (Hafner).”  The release of the data has brought on some discussion of whether the data they have released is good or bad data.  But what is the best kind of data, new data or old data? 

It is obvious that some of the best data is new and updated data because it gives you the best and most accurate answers to what you are looking for.  New data is the most accurate way of using information to better your study.  But is new data better than or just as beneficial as old data?

            Old data is either seen as useful or completely pointless.  “Some see the data as too valuable to withhold altogether. “One of the biggest problems is trying to get real data,” said Christopher Manning, an assistant professor of computer science and linguistics at

Stanford
University (Hafner).”  I find that old information can be useful for the purpose of going back and comparing new data to old data.  Even though the AOL data is old and outdated from their customers, Hafner still thinks that it is too useful to throw away.  “Professor Manning said, “I think it’s fair to say that given researchers’ craving for data, having the AOL data available is a great boon for research (Hafner).” 

            The difference between old and new data is very little, and it depends on what you use it for.  Many researchers are finding it hard to get rid of the AOL data because they can find it valuable.  This is just one of many ways that you can find old data useful.

Hafner, K. (2006, August 23). Researchers yearn to use AOL logs, but they hesitate. New York Times.

               It began with the VCR, then came the CD and Napster, then Ipod’s and Tivo.  All of these devices started out from another digital idea and have now evolved into our new era of digital design.  Now, we dont have to have tapes of our favorite shows lying around, or a six inch wide Cd player laying on our desk, because those things would just take up too much space.  Now we have our Tivo box that captures anything on TV we may miss and now that annoying six inch Cd player has been replaced by the one inch by three inch Ipod that can hold an ungodly amount of songs, movies and pictures. 

               It all started with the VCR, that caused a lot of controversy and rif-raft with the Movie Industry.  Both the movie and television industry felt that the VCR was a terrible piece of technology because now, families can recored their favorite show that they missed and fast forward through the commercials.  They felt that this was going to kill their business since revenue is generated from commercials, but they had a bigger problem with the fact that they thought it was illegal by the companies selling them.  “…recording of television shows is copying.  When you record a television show of the air your making a copy of that show.  And copying without the permission of the copyright holder is illegal (Felten).”  The Supreme Court felt that the companies distributing the VCR’s were not responsible for how their customers used their product, so they could not outlaw VCR’s.

               From the VCR came DVD’s.  DVD’s are a little more expensive, but they offer higher quality and will last much longer.  They can be fast forwarded or rewound quicker, and they take up much less room.  DVD’s were the continuing uprise in the new digital era.  CD’s and VCR’s were great technological advances, but once the DVD came out, a whole new array of digital advances came. 

               Napster was the new way of downloading any kind of music, any time any place from the internet.  It was a free way of getting a ton of music you loved for no cost.  But the music industry didnt like that very much and thought that it was killing their business.  So they sued Napster and won, eventually causing Napster to shut down its website.  But now rather than download your music to the computer, you can download it to your Ipod.

                The Ipod is the new and easy way of carrying around thousands of songs and music to have at your fingertips and thats without having to carry around hundreds of Cd’s.  Cd players quickly came and quickly went thanks to the Ipod.  Now, the Ipod comes in different shapes, sizes, colors, features, space for music, space for pictures, space for movies and internet.  I also just had a phone that allows you to take your Ipod songs and put them on your phone.  It is amazing how much a piece of technology can do, all at the size of two or three fingers. 

                In his lecture, Professor Edward Felten touched on all these ideas, and explained how the digital age is evolving.  Whether a few technological advances had to get through the Supreme Court, they did and flourished.  From, VCR’s and Cd’s to Tivo, the Ipod and DVD’s the new digital era is upon us, and a few years from now we will be talking about the new new digital era.

Works Cited

Felton, E. (2004).  Rip,mix, burn, sue: Technology, politics, and the fight to control digital media.  Princeton University President’s Lecture Series, no 1.

Borat was a hit at the box office this weekend and freinds of mine found in neccesary to go see the movie twice in 3 days!!! How funny is this guy really? It is actually quite amusing…Check out this clip from David Letterman….

http://www.realhaunts.com/haunted-houses/united-states/connecticut/ 

            Information Architects is a relatively new field of work, where very few people have experience in.  Companies nowadays aren’t looking to hire someone in the field of Information Architecture, because they are unsure of what exactly they do, so often times, IA’s need to “sell themselves” or justify what it is they do, in order to be deemed useful.  But the field is growing, and even though there is a lack of experience for IA, they have found an important role for themselves with companies and their web teams. 

            An information architect has defined the field as “the structural design of shared information environments” as well as “the art and science of organizing and labeling Web sites, intranets, online communities and software to support usability and find-ability (Hoffman, 1).”  Basically, they help and assist with the company’s web sites by making them stronger, easier to use and with a better flow of navigation, along with “hard-core coding (Hoffman, 1).”  But working as an IA is not as easy as it sounds, mostly because businesses are not sure exactly what IA’s do, so they have doubts about hiring.  For the most part, IA’s get a job as programmer, and slowly “They get hired to do a job for which IA may or may not be a defined part of their responsibilities, they take an interest in it, and they manage to talk somebody into letting them take responsibility for those things (Hoffman, 1).”  Sooner than later, businesses will see a purpose for IA’s, but for now, the IA’s have to convince the business that they can help them in area’s the IA’s are experts in.              Training and classes on IA is few and far between.  They are limited in courses where they can learn about it, and they don’t have classes in every school.  “As for training, courses in information architecture may be difficult to find, though educational programs in the field, such as a master’s degree in interaction design and information architecture at the

University of
Baltimore, are beginning to emerge (Hoffman, 1).”  As you can see, IA classes are slowly emerging, but are limited to only a few schools.  To be an IA, you need more than just a few training courses, but a deep desire to figure out what people are thinking and why they think that way.  Jesse James Garrett, who is the author of The Elements of User Experience: User-Centered Design for the Web, said “…yet also have a deep interest in people and the way they think. Typically, IA’s collaborate with a variety of people, he notes, from marketing and design pros to business executives and customers (Hoffman, 1).”              IA’s and their responsibilities are growing, as well as well as their educational program.  It won’t be soon before IA’s are an essential part of any business, but for now, very little experience and a go get’em attitude is what you need to get started.  

Works Cited

Hoffman, A. (2006). Information architects: Web builders with a sales bent. Monster.com.

Turn Up The Volume, Make sure you look and listen closley….

            Websites nowadays are classified in a few ways.  Either filled with clutter or filled with relevant information, or it is useful vs. non-useful.  As in Krug’s “Don’t Make Me Think” essay, he points out how websites need to condense the information on their website, along with making it simple and easy to navigate for all users.  One of the most frustrating things about using the internet sometimes is how difficult it can be to find what you are looking for.  Krug is saying that web developers need to make it so you click and navigate without thinking and asking yourself a million questions about the website.

            Often times, when I venture to a new website, I get lost easily and distracted by other things on the page and if often leads to me getting lost on the page.  For the web pages where I ask myself, where do I start, Should I click on that, what is that, what does that mean?  These are questions that Krug’s says should be avoided when navigating a page.  “It means, that as far as is humanly possible, when I look at a Web Page, it should be self-evident.  Obvious.  Self-Explanatory (Krug 11).” 

            Having difficulty navigating a website can not only lead to user frustration, but it can also lead them to go elsewhere or a competitor’s website if they find it too hard to figure out the current one they are on.  “On the internet, the competition is always just one click away, so if you frustrate users, they’ll head somewhere else (Krug 18).”  That is one of the perks of having so many options.  If one website doesn’t do it quick, simple or easy enough for your liking, there are always websites that do it better and faster than them. 

            Correcting that problem isn’t difficult and it actually involves more removing information from your website, rather than adding.  “The more important something is, the more prominent it is.  For instance, the most important headings are either larger, bolder, in a distinctive color, set off by more white space, or nearer the top of the page, or some combination of the above (Krug 31).” 

Krug believes in making things as easy as possible, with a little bit of organization and a lot less clutter.  He feels that you should make it easy on a user to browse or search your website, and not have them as questions.  “As a user, I should never have to devote a millisecond of thought as to whether things are clickable-or not (Krug 14).”  Make things simple, clickable and searchable without any train of thought and this will lead to a happy user, and a successful website. 

Works Cited

Krug, S. (2000). Don’t make me think. Indianapolis: New Riders, pp. 1-39.